NASA unveils X-70 Fractal experimental aircraft at Kennedy

The crewed X-plane has been unveiled at Kennedy Space Center with rapidly reconfigurable flight controls and room for up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads.

NASA has unveiled the X-70 Fractal, its latest experimental aircraft, during the UP.Summit at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The high-performance, highly adaptable research platform is designed to accelerate the development and testing of advanced aviation technologies.

The crewed X-70 features rapidly reconfigurable flight-control technology that will allow NASA to explore aircraft manoeuvrability in ways never before demonstrated in crewed flight. The aircraft can also accommodate up to 2,000 pounds of experimental payloads in internal and external locations, enabling a wide range of research and flight-testing opportunities. Its modular design allows payloads to be swapped rapidly between experiments.

The X-70 Fractal has a take-off weight of 10,000 pounds and is designed to cruise at Mach 0.75, reach altitudes of up to 45,000 feet and provide an operational range of about 1,500 nautical miles (1,726 miles). These capabilities will enable NASA to conduct demanding flight research across a broad range of operating conditions.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says: “We expect her first flight under the NASA banner within the next two years.”

Laurie Grindle, director of the Aeronautics Division within NASA’s Research and Technology Mission Directorate, adds: “For decades, NASA Aeronautics has used X-planes to develop technologies that advance aviation. It’s exciting to bring on another X-plane to accelerate and drive aeronautics research.”

The X-70 joins a long line of NASA experimental aircraft, from the Bell X-1, which first broke the sound barrier in 1947, to the X-15 hypersonic research aircraft and today’s X-59 quiet supersonic demonstrator.

With the X-70, NASA will expand its capacity to conduct experimental flight research and accelerate the testing of emerging technologies.